Weskeag Marsh.
As the sun rose from the bay, a little earlier than yesterday, and splashed orange against the trunks of the bare hardwoods marching up the hill out back, I lay in bed and listened to the voices of seven species of birds, all talking at once. Well, five were talking and two were singing. First came the squeal of a robin. Then some goldfinch chatter. Then chick-a-dee-dee-dee-dee. Then the fluting song of a titmouse. A white-breasted nuthatch’s beep-beep. The caw of a crow. And finally, the lusty veers and trills of a house finch. A great start to the day.
American crows.
I actually dashed out in my robe—well, as fast as I could dash with three staples in me—but couldn’t get a photo. So later in the day I took a brief drive to the Weskeag Marsh, where you can simply scan the great, spacious wetland from the parking lot. Man, it was bright out there. Just a single wisp of cloud in a dome of sheer blue.
A few dozen Canada geese at the marsh. Some vociferous crows. The tide was low and the channels deep—and at one point I saw a swift pair of low-flying mallards simply disappear at ground level. That was weird.
Stayed mostly indoors the rest of the day. Which made me ache a little, seeing as how the temperature rose into the upper-40s (F) and I had a real hankering to hike or cycle or find some other way to get my lungs sucking in this sweet, spring-like air. Instead, I snapped a couple photos of crows from the back deck.
Early tonight, Orion’s stars seemed intense and somehow nearer. Later, a thin layer of clouds moved in. I thought I might hear owls, but I didn’t.
Today’s List
American robin
American goldfinch
House finch
Tufted titmouse
Black-capped chickadee
White-breasted nuthatch
American crow
Herring gull
Ring-billed gull
Rock pigeon
Canada goose
Mallard
Canada geese at Weskeag.
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, black-capped chickadee, Canada goose, herring gull, house finch, mallard, ring-billed gull, rock pigeon, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch
